18-07-2025
In Gaza-made obi, Palestinian embroidery meets Japanese kimono
'This design is a traditional motif of scissors and roses,' Maki Yamamoto says, pointing to an obi that has caught my eye at her pop-up shop and exhibition in Tokyo's Azabu Hills complex. 'Roses once thrived in Gaza's fertile soils.'
The kimono fabrics on display may have been Japanese in function, but their form was Palestinian. That is thanks to Yamamoto's Palestinian Embroidery Obi Project , an organization that employs Palestinian women in Gaza and the West Bank's refugee camps to adorn traditional Japanese garments with Palestinian tatreez embroidery.
In Palestinian poetry and art, roses are a symbol of resilience and the enduring spirit of the Palestinian people. Cypress trees and the eight-pointed Star of Bethlehem also feature prominently in the sashes on display at her pop-up, which ran from June 18 to 23 and featured dozens of hand-embroidered obi — examples of the splendor and beauty that defined Palestine in times of peace.
'This motif is a holder for kohl (eyeliner),' explains Yamamoto, 47, gesturing towards a particularly intricate design bordered by Palestinian flags. 'People would store kohl in ornate containers decorated with beads and jewels.'
Founder of the Palestinian Embroidery Obi Project, Maki Yamamoto (right) first visited the region in 2013 and continues to make occasional trips to supply and collect materials to and from women in refugee camps. |
KOTARO MANABE
A Tokyo native, Yamamoto was working as a researcher at a cosmetics company in the early 2000s when, during some volunteer work at various embassies, she befriended Maali Siam, wife of the Palestinian ambassador to Japan. In 2013, Yamamoto traveled to the West Bank herself, where she says she was moved by the Palestinian people's concerted efforts to keep their artistic legacy alive despite decades of destabilizing political strife.
'It takes the women in the refugee camps anywhere from two to six months to embroider a single obi,' Yamamoto says. 'It all depends on the design.'
A fully-embroidered fukuro-obi from the Palestinian Embroidery Obi Project is priced at ¥1,500,000 (about $10,270), but the partially embroidered Nagoya-obi and the wider kyofukuro-obi, from ¥150,000, have attracted fans in actress Saiko Isshiki, manga artist Chie Shinohara and a geisha in Kyoto's Gion teahouse district. It is no small purchase, certainly, but in the world of kimono, fast fashion has made little leeway and a garment's provenance remains its principal selling point.
Depending on the complexity of the design, the obi take between two to six months to complete. |
ANNA SAKAMOTO
The process of transporting materials from Japan to the refugee camps and back again is circuitous, and proceeds are similarly sent back to the embroiderers via nonprofits in the region. Since the women in the refugee camps do not have permanent addresses, Yamamoto relies on a network of diplomats, nongovernmental organizations, and Japanese expats living in the Gaza and West Bank region to transport raw materials and finished products either by mail — or in their own suitcases if necessary. The embroidered fabric is then sewn into a Japanese obi by a traditional tailor in Tokyo.
'When I first began the project, the majority of the obi were unusable,' Yamamoto says. 'You see, it's not like Japan where everything is scrupulously measured. In Palestine, they measure with their hands and eyes. In that sense, they are true artisans. It took a lot of time and extended communication to get the measurements right.'
Despite the initial setbacks, Yamamoto was undeterred, and as a result of this tenacity, her tatreez obi have been featured in Vogue Japan and a Palestinian-themed fashion show at the 2025 Osaka Expo. Yamamoto hopes that the increased attention can not only generate income for the women in the refugee camps but also change Japanese people's perceptions of Palestine.
Yamamoto says that staying in contact with her Palestinian embroiderers can be difficult at times given the volatility of the region. |
MAKI YAMAMOTO
'In Japan, we hear 'Palestine' and think of violence and sorrow, but that is not the Palestine I saw,' she says. 'I saw a Palestine of beauty, kindness and resilience.'
That ethos will be on display again when the Palestinian Embroidery Obi Project hosts another pop-up at the Palette Gallery in Tokyo's Azabu-Juban neighborhood from July 29 through Aug. 3.
However, as the war in Palestine rages on, Yamamoto admits that there are days when she does not even know if the women who craft the obi she displays are still alive.
'Whenever I hear about an airstrike in the vicinity of the camps, I try not to contact them immediately — I want to leave the lines open for families to contact each other. I do go on Facebook to see when the women last logged into their accounts, though.'
For more information on the Palestinian Embroidery Obi Project, visit its Instagram page at @palestinian_embroidery_obi
